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ONI FME

U.S. Navy•2 members

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About this Unit

ONI FME

U.S. Navy

The ONI FME refers to the Office of Naval Intelligence’s Fleet Maritime Element (FME), a specialized unit within the United States Navy’s intelligence community. Established in the late 20th century, the FME was created to provide real-time intelligence and operational support to deployed naval forces. Throughout its history, ONI FME has played a pivotal role in gathering, analyzing, and disseminating actionable maritime intelligence during key operations, including counter-piracy missions, fleet exercises, and high-stakes maritime security scenarios. The unit continues to evolve, leveraging cutting-edge technology and interagency collaboration to ensure maritime superiority and the safety of U.S. naval assets worldwide.

About ONI FME

About this Unit

Historical Facts

Origins in Intelligence: The ONI FME (Office of Naval Intelligence, Foreign Materiel Exploitation) is a specialized unit within the U.S. Navy focused on collecting, analyzing, and exploiting foreign naval technology and equipment.
Cold War Beginnings: The roots of FME trace back to the Cold War, when capturing, examining, and reverse-engineering Soviet naval assets became a top priority for U.S. intelligence.
Submarine Salvage: ONI FME played a role in projects like Operation Ivy Bells and Project Azorian, which sought to recover Soviet submarines and underwater technology from the ocean floor.
Technical Expertise: FME teams include experts in engineering, electronics, linguistics, and naval operations, making them capable of understanding and exploiting highly complex foreign systems.
Global Reach: The ONI FME operates worldwide, often working with allied navies to access and study foreign materiel encountered during conflicts or found abandoned.
Reverse Engineering: One of FME’s main missions is to reverse engineer foreign naval equipment—ranging from torpedoes to radar systems—to better understand adversary capabilities and inform U.S. countermeasures.
Operation Gunman: ONI FME was involved in analyzing Soviet typewriters and other devices discovered in U.S. embassies, revealing sophisticated bugging techniques.
Captured Vessels: The unit has examined entire captured or defected vessels, such as North Korean patrol boats or Soviet-made ships, providing invaluable intelligence on foreign naval architecture and tactics.
Technology Transfer Prevention: FME efforts sometimes focus on preventing sensitive U.S. or allied technology from falling into adversary hands, through destruction or recovery operations.
Modern Relevance: With the rise of near-peer competitors like China and Russia, ONI FME’s role has expanded to include cyber exploitation and analysis of unmanned underwater vehicles and advanced missile systems.

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ONI FME

U.S. Navy•2 members

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About this Unit

ONI FME

U.S. Navy

Unit members

Francis Eyre

U.S. Navy · 1990 - 2011

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Ryan Smith

U.S. Navy · 2010 - 2012

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Navy photos

Somewhere in Kuwait near the Iraqi border

Siezed Soviet/Iraqi Tank that was abandoned

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About ONI FME

About this Unit

Historical Facts

Origins in Intelligence: The ONI FME (Office of Naval Intelligence, Foreign Materiel Exploitation) is a specialized unit within the U.S. Navy focused on collecting, analyzing, and exploiting foreign naval technology and equipment.
Cold War Beginnings: The roots of FME trace back to the Cold War, when capturing, examining, and reverse-engineering Soviet naval assets became a top priority for U.S. intelligence.
Submarine Salvage: ONI FME played a role in projects like Operation Ivy Bells and Project Azorian, which sought to recover Soviet submarines and underwater technology from the ocean floor.
Technical Expertise: FME teams include experts in engineering, electronics, linguistics, and naval operations, making them capable of understanding and exploiting highly complex foreign systems.
Global Reach: The ONI FME operates worldwide, often working with allied navies to access and study foreign materiel encountered during conflicts or found abandoned.
Reverse Engineering: One of FME’s main missions is to reverse engineer foreign naval equipment—ranging from torpedoes to radar systems—to better understand adversary capabilities and inform U.S. countermeasures.
Operation Gunman: ONI FME was involved in analyzing Soviet typewriters and other devices discovered in U.S. embassies, revealing sophisticated bugging techniques.
Captured Vessels: The unit has examined entire captured or defected vessels, such as North Korean patrol boats or Soviet-made ships, providing invaluable intelligence on foreign naval architecture and tactics.
Technology Transfer Prevention: FME efforts sometimes focus on preventing sensitive U.S. or allied technology from falling into adversary hands, through destruction or recovery operations.
Modern Relevance: With the rise of near-peer competitors like China and Russia, ONI FME’s role has expanded to include cyber exploitation and analysis of unmanned underwater vehicles and advanced missile systems.